Archive for the ‘coronet’ Category

Animation Resources supporter, Rich Borowy stopped by to digitize some classic Stan Freberg radio shows for the archive database yesterday. Under his arm was a box of old Coronet and Omnibook magazines. Rich said that he was given the box at a garage sale that was closing down. I’ve never looked at these particular magazines, but they have wonderful illustrations and features. Here are highlights from the December, 1945 issue. Check it out. There’s a big surprise at the end. Thanks for bringing these in, Rich!

Each issue opens with an inspirational message and illustration. This one is by illustrator, Vera Bock. Many issues contain the work of Arthur Szyk, whose book “The New Order” we featured last year. I’ll be doing a whole post of Szyk illustrations from Coronet soon.

Next up is a retelling of "The Night Before Christmas" by Golden Book illustrator, Sheilah Beckett. Will Finn recently posted about her book on Gilbert & Sullivan Operettas. These pages strongly resemble the back of Little Golden Books. Do you think Sheilah Beckett designed that?

The Milton Caniff Estate recently loaned Animation Resources copies of two issues of Coronet magazine from 1942 and 1947 to digitize. Here are three articles of interest to cartoonists and illustrators…

AMERICA’S PIONEER JAP FIGHTER
By Howard Whitman

NORMAN ROCKWELL: The People’s Painter
By Jack H. Pollack

CONFESSIONS OF A COMIC STRIP ARTIST
By Milton Caniff

Thanks to John Ellis and the estate of Milton Caniff for sharing this with us!

Fantagraphics has a great book on Caniff’s career, and Checker has released year by year reprints of the classic Steve Canyon strip. Caniff was a master storyteller, and the first few years of Steve Canyon are examples of his genius at the height of its powers. Click on the pictures for more info.

This posting is part of a series of articles comprising an online exhibit spotlighting Illustration.This posting is part of the online Encyclopedia of Cartooning under the subject heading, Newspaper Comics.

Here’s another batch of illustration from late 40s Coronet magazines. This group of images isn’t interesting so much for their style as much as their authenticity. With a clarity of staging reminiscent of production designs for classic motion pictures, these paintings vividly show the value of careful research into period costume, props and decor. The first batch is a history of medicine by Leslie Saalburg. The last is a review of classic children’s literature by Douglass Crockwell. But the most interesting is the middle feature, Carl Sandberg’s "Blood on the Moon" illustrated by Disney imagineer, Harper Goff.

Harper Goff was born in 1911, and studied art at Chouinard Art Institute. He was an accomplished illustrator, working for Colliers, Esquire and Coronet. Goff was employed as a set designer for Warner Bros on classic films like Sergeant York, Casablanca and Captain Blood. He met Walt Disney in a model train store in London, and was invited on the spot to join the Disney staff.

Goff’s first assignment was to storyboard a True Life Adventure story dealing with undersea life, but expanded the idea into a feature film adaptation of Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. Goff’s designs for the submarine and its plush interiors were the most striking part of the film, resulting in an Oscar for Art Direction and Special Effects. Goff played banjo in the Disney studio Dixieland jazz band, "The Firehouse Five" and was the designer of the World Showcase at Epcot. He passed away in 1993.

MEDICINE ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO
by Leslie Saalburg

SANDBURG’S BLOOD ON THE MOONBy Harper Goff

A TREASURY OF LITERARY CLASSICS
by Douglass Crockwell

Thanks to Rich Borowy for donating these great vintage magazines to Animation Resources.

I would like to thank the membership of The International Animated Film Society: ASIFA-Hollywood for sponsoring my efforts to get this project off the ground during its first few years. In particular, I owe a debt of gratitude to ASIFA-Hollywood's president, Antran Manoogian. Without his unwavering support and valuable guidance this project would not exist. -Stephen Worth